Principles of Comparative Politics offers the most comprehensive and up-to-date introduction to comparative inquiry, research, and scholarship. In this thoroughly revised Third Edition, students now have an even better guide to cross-national comparison and why it matters. The new edition retains a focus on the enduring questions with which scholars grapple, the issues about which consensus has started to emerge, and the tools comparativists use to get at the complex problems in the field.

Among other things, the updates to this edition include a thoroughly-revised chapter on dictatorships that incorporates a discussion of the two fundamental problems of authoritarian rule: authoritarian power-sharing and authoritarian control; a revised chapter on culture and democracy that includes a more extensive examination of cultural modernization theory and a new overview of survey methods for addressing sensitive topics; a new section on issues related to electoral integrity; an expanded assessment of different forms of representation; and a new intuitive take on statistical analyses that provides a clearer explanation of how to interpret regression results. Examples from the gender and politics literature have been incorporated into various chapters, the Problems sections at the end of each chapter have been expanded, a! nd the empirical examples and data on various types of institutions have been updated. Online videos and tutorials are available to address some of the more methodological components discussed in the book. The authors have thoughtfully streamlined chapters to better focus attention on key topics.

Preface

PART I. WHAT IS COMPARATIVE POLITICS?

1. INTRODUCTION

Overview of the Book

The Approach Taken in This Book

Key Concepts

2. WHAT IS SCIENCE?

What Is Science?

The Scientific Method

An Introduction to Logic

Myths about Science

Conclusion

Key Concepts

Problems

3. WHAT IS POLITICS?

The Exit, Voice, and Loyalty Game

Solving the Exit, Voice, and Loyalty Game

Evaluating the Exit, Voice, and Loyalty Game

Conclusion

Key Concepts

Preparation for the Problems

Problems

PART II. THE MODERN STATE: DEMOCRACY OR DICTATORSHIP?

4. THE ORIGINS OF THE MODERN STATE

What Is a State?

Somalia and Syria: Two Failed States

The Contractarian View of the State

The Predatory View of the State

Conclusion

Key Concepts

Preparation for the Problems

Problems

5. DEMOCRACY AND DICTATORSHIP: CONCEPTUALIZATION AND MEASUREMENT

Democracy and Dictatorship in Historical Perspective

Classifying Democracies and Dictatorships

Conclusion

Key Concepts

Problems

6. THE ECONOMIC DETERMINANTS OF DEMOCRACY AND DICTATORSHIP

Classic Modernization Theory

A Variant of Modernization Theory

Some More Empirical Evidence

Conclusion

Key Concepts

Appendix: An Intuitive Take on Statistical Analyses

Problems

7. THE CULTURAL DETERMINANTS OF DEMOCRACY AND DICTATORSHIP

Classical Cultural Arguments: Mill and Montesquieu

Does Democracy Require a Civic Culture?

Religion and Democracy

Experiments and Culture

Conclusion

Key Concepts

Problems

8. DEMOCRATIC TRANSITIONS

Bottom-Up Transitions to Democracy

Top-Down Transitions to Democracy

Conclusion

Key Concepts

Problems

9. DEMOCRACY OR DICTATORSHIP: DOES IT MAKE A DIFFERENCE?

The Effect of Regime Type on Economic Growth

The Effect of Regime Type on Government Performance

Conclusion

Key Concepts

Problems

PART III. VARIETIES OF DEMOCRACY AND DICTATORSHIP

10. VARIETIES OF DICTATORSHIP

A Common Typology of Authoritarian Regimes

The Two Fundamental Problems of Authoritarian Rule

Selectorate Theory

Conclusion

Key Concepts

Problems

11. PROBLEMS WITH GROUP DECISION MAKING

Problems with Group Decision Making

Arrow’s Theorem

Conclusion

Key Concepts

Appendix: Stability in Two-Dimensional Majority-Rule Voting

Problems

12. PARLIAMENTARY, PRESIDENTIAL, AND SEMI-PRESIDENTIAL DEMOCRACIES

Classifying Democracies

Making and Breaking Governments in Parliamentary Democracies

Making and Breaking Governments in Presidential Democracies

Making and Breaking Governments in Semi-Presidential Democracies

A Unifying Framework: Principal-Agent and Delegation Problems

Conclusion

Key Concepts

Problems

13. ELECTIONS AND ELECTORAL SYSTEMS

Elections and Electoral Integrity

Electoral Systems

Legislative Electoral System Choice

Conclusion

Key Concepts

Problems

14. SOCIAL CLEAVAGES AND PARTY SYSTEMS

Political Parties: What Are They, and What Do They Do?

Party Systems

Where Do Parties Come From?

Types of Parties: Social Cleavages and Political Identity Formation

Number of Parties: Duverger’s Theory

Conclusion

Key Concepts

Problems

15. INSTITUTIONAL VETO PLAYERS

Federalism

Bicameralism

Constitutionalism

Veto Players

Conclusion

Key Concepts

Problems

PART IV. VARIETIES OF DEMOCRACY AND POLITICAL OUTCOMES

16. CONSEQUENCES OF DEMOCRATIC INSTITUTIONS

Majoritarian or Consensus Democracy?

The Effect of Political Institutions on Fiscal Policy

Electoral Laws, Federalism, and Ethnic Conflict

Presidentialism and Democratic Survival

Conclusion

Key Concepts

Problems

References

Index

Supplements

SAGE edge for Instructors supports teaching by making it easy to integrate quality content and create a rich learning environment for students.

Test banks provide a diverse range of pre-written options as well as the opportunity to edit any question and/or insert personalized questions to effectively assess students’ progress and understanding

“Principles of Comparative Politics is a very comprehensive, rigorous, and detailed text. It is logically and effectively organized, across and within chapters. One of its strengths is the way the text discusses the strengths and weaknesses of different types of institutions and introduces students to debates in the literature. I will continue to assign the textbook so students are made to engage with the heated and continuing debates in political science.”

Tayna Bagashka

University of Houston

“It is both my opinion and a majority of students’ opinion that Principles of Comparative Politics clearly and concisely presents and describes theories and concepts. From my experience, the book is clearer than most of the alternatives focused on Comparative Politics. From the student’s experience, the book is clearer than many similar texts they have read in Political Science and other disciplines. I believe the book manages to cover many of the relevant themes in Comparative Politics within a logical and interesting framework; as part of a more relevant discussion of the differences in democracy and dictatorships.”

Nick Clark

Susquehanna University

“The key strength to Principles of Comparative Politics is the theoretical approach. This is the best undergraduate text I have found within both Comparative and International Relations for introducing the scientific method and recent research. I feel that students leave this textbook understanding what political science truly is and what differentiates this field from area specialists. In addition, the book also acts as a comprehensive primer to rational choice theory, and is a great text to be used as a supplement to a rational choice class if looking for a substantive example.”

Christine Mele

University of Arkansas

“After more than 20 years in the profession, Principles of Comparative Politics is truly the first textbook that will pave the way to establish norms on how to teach Introduction to Comparative Politics. Traditional method is outdated and too historical. This textbook provides an introduction to the ‘science of politics.’”

Emizet Kisangani

Kansas State University

Key features

NEW TO THIS EDITION:

A new intuitive take on statistical analyses and a clearer explanation of how to interpret regression results are included.

A thoroughly-revised chapter on culture and democracy includes a more extensive discussion of cultural modernization theory and a new overview of survey methods for addressing sensitive topics.

A revised chapter on dictatorships incorporates a principal-agent framework for understanding authoritarian institutions.

Examples from the gender and politics literature have been incorporated into various chapters.

Empirical examples and data on various types of institutions have been updated.

End of chapter problems have been revised and expanded to address new topics.

Multiple chapters have been streamlined to highlight key explanations and offer more coherent overview of literature.

KEY FEATURES:

Big questions that motivate the field are front and center, and organize the book:

Why do some countries have democratic regimes and other have dictatorships?

Does the type of a country’s regime affect the well-being of its citizens?

How do governments form and what determines the type of governments that take office?

Cases and examples are drawn from a variety of countries–not just “the usual suspects”–and are incorporated into the chapters.

Clear and abundant explanations of scientific method and game theory with built-in exercises show students how, not just what, and helps bolster the books’ focus on explanation and analysis, not just description.

A set of maps allow students to visualize the geographic distribution of various key institutions around the world.

The book's outstanding pedagogy includes chapter opener overviews, bolded key terms and a marginal glossary, more than 250 tables and figures, numerous photos and maps, end of chapter questions and problem sets, and a broader set of works cited.

Should you need additional information or have questions regarding the HEOA information provided for this title, including what is new to this edition, please email sageheoa@sagepub.com. Please include your name, contact information, and the name of the title for which you would like more information. For information on the HEOA, please go to http://ed.gov/policy/highered/leg/hea08/index.html.